Esme Hamilton (-15) has achieved in South Africa a victory as surprising as it was special and very well deserved. The English golfer has learned how to win and has taken the Investec SA Women’s Open in a final round marked by rain and adverse weather. She prevailed by two strokes over fellow Englishwoman Cara Gainer (-13) and three over Slovenian Pia Babnik (-12), the big victim of the weekend, after carding two rounds of 74. She will take a long time to forget what happened.
Who will certainly remember it forever is Hamilton. At 26 she has achieved the first victory of her career. She had a modest amateur career. Her biggest achievement was getting through the stroke-play phase of the 2022 British Amateur. She played in the United States at the universities of Chattanooga and Kansas, with some good results but without winning a title.
She turned professional in 2024 and competed on the LETAS. More of the same. Some top-10s here and there, a sixth place in Calatayud, but no victories, not even close. In 2025 she earned a conditional LET card through Q-school. She made a splash in the Czech Republic with a runner-up finish and that sorted out her season. Beyond that, she was seventh in Switzerland. Little else. Enough to get into the big final of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España and finish the season 53rd on the Order of Merit.
Her 2026 season wasn’t much better. She is a solid player who makes cuts, but until now she hadn’t come close to victory. Her best result had been 25th. Well, this week she finally got within range and proved to be the most decisive to take the win.
It is a very creditable triumph, nothing to object to. With nine holes to play she was tied with Gainer, the favourite given her record on the LET. However, three birdies on the three par-5s of the back nine gave her the victory. The one she made at 16 proved decisive. She went two strokes clear with two holes to play. Two closing pars were enough to give her career a complete turnaround. We’ll see if this is the turning point in her career.
It hasn’t been the best Sunday in the world for the Spanish players. Quite the opposite. Only Amaia Latorre (-2) managed to play under par (70 strokes) and took advantage of the final round to move up a few places. The player from Álava finished 29th, tied with Luna Sobrón (-2). The Mallorcan started the day in the top 10, but a round of 76 saw her lose a lot of ground, many points and a good chunk of the payout.
The best Spaniard, however, was Ana Peláez (-3). The player from Málaga finished with a 74 to place 24th. Finally, María Parra (PAR) was 37th with a final round of 77.
The Ladies European Tour closes its Africa swing next week in Mauritius
